Of Jealousy, Omiais, and Misconceptions
by Setsuna24
Summary: It all started the day Asami thought it would be a good idea to tap Akihito's phone and listen to the conversations his lover had with his two best friends.


**AN: Hello again! This is another onshot I had on hold for a while (I'm trying to get some of those done… there are just too many.) Anyways, as of now I have no intention of a second chapter but maybe I will revisit this one in the future. O another note, Ashida commented that this fic gave her second hand embarrassment at one point, try to figure out when and let me know if you find out. **

**Thanks to Ashida for being so cool and betaing my work, and thanks to all of you who read my fics and everything else.**

**Look forward to my next oneshot "Turn off the lights" – I swear it has nothing to do with "Leave your lights on" by Sunflower1343 – I'm trying to get some of my on-hold stuff done so I can go back to my regular updates.**

**I do not own Finder Series.**

**********VF**********

**Of jealousy, omiais, and misconceptions.**

It all started the day Asami thought it would be a good idea to tap Akihito's phone and listen to the conversations his lover had with his two best friends. _'What do they talk about?'_ He had asked himself. _'Do they talk about Akihito's life? About his job? Likely, Akihito is very much in love with his job and his camera so is very plausible. Do they wonder where their friend is living? And if so… does he talk about me? What does he tell them?'_ It seemed like a good idea at the time, to wiretap his lover's phone and listen in to the friends talk like he would never talk to anyone.

He had been just too curious to resist, he should have known better. It is true that curiosity killed the cat, however in this particular occasion it was safe to say that curiosity had pissed off the cat, – a very large and dangerous cat named Asami Ryuichi – a cat who wanted this annoying little reference to his person to be over and done with.

The first time he heard it, he chuckled amusedly at the cluelessness of Akihito's friend. He had always thought of Kou as the kind of person who had their head constantly in the clouds and missed everything around him, though according to his men's reports, the young man was known for occasional and random bouts of wisdom.

The second or the third time it happened, he was mildly irked but not necessarily angry about it. The fourth time all the way to the twelfth time happened in the same conversation, it was the one named Takato who brought it up; it was Takato who said those words and had his eyebrow twitching in rapidly growing irritation.

Takato, he had learned, was the most levelheaded of the three friends. The one that – according to the other two – had his shit together and had his feet firmly planted on the ground, as well as his head well set on his shoulders. Takato had said those words, he had asked that question and it all had gotten on Asami's nerves because every time Akihito laughed nervously and went along with the teasing and the assumptions.

By the tenth time, Akihito had let them talk to their hearts content about the subject, cleverly dodging difficult lines of questioning. Asami was absolutely sure the present topic of conversation was a very common occurrence, he had had enough of it.

Currently, Asami was actively messing with Akihito by conveniently putting the omiai pictures he received from other businessmen, clients, and colleagues, where Akihito could see them, just to rile him up.

Every day, somewhere in their home, there would be a pile of folders with beautifully taken candidacy pictures and detailed information about the girl in each picture. This had been going on for over a week. The first day, Asami put the folders on the kitchen counter, and then he put them on the dining table, then on the low table in the living room, then the corner of the couch where Akihito likes to sit to read in the afternoons.

One day he 'forgot' them on their bed while he took a shower and several times he looked at them while drinking his morning coffee in front of Akihito or while they were riding in the limo or BMW. There were also omiai folders in his home office and one had managed to make it to the laundry room. With each passing day, he could see that Akihito was growing increasingly more pissed off.

'_How long will he let this go?'_ Asami wondered by the end of the second week as he set his briefcase and the pile of folders in Akihito's arms the moment the boy came to greet him while he took off his shoes by the door. He hoped the boy brought up the subject sometime soon, preferably before that vein on Akihito's forehead decided it was high time it popped.

During the course of his mind games with an unaware Akihito, he would continuously send for the boy and have him brought to his office at Sion. There, lying on the desk, right in front of the chair Akihito liked to sit in, was a continuously increasing pile of more omiai folders. To supply the flow of solicitations he did not need to do a thing, as he always received such proposals and had previously been quick to have Kirishima get rid of them. But since he wanted to drive Akihito to address the situation, he had Kirishima create fake omiai folders to add to the already sizable mountain.

****VF****

Akihito was pissed, he was jealous and in all honesty with every new pile of folders, he was feeling an increasing need to throttle Asami or at least kick him in the family jewels. His patience was running out and frankly he was not sure how he had managed to hold on to his temper this long. Akihito was not known for his patience and the fact that it took three weeks for him to finally blow up was beyond miraculous.

It was a quiet Sunday morning when he finally brought it up, once he opened his mouth, the morning was anything but quiet. Kirishima had just arrived to deliver the Sunday morning paper along with a substantial pile of omiai folders, most of which were not fake. It was the last straw, the drop that finally overfilled the cup, Asami had successfully gotten on Akihito's last nerve and he was going to hear about it.

"Asami, I don't know what kind of sick game you are playing at but whatever it is, it stops right fucking now." Akihito was pointing his finger accusatively at the older man.

"Whatever could you be talking about kitten? You are going to have to be specific if you want me to know what is bothering you." He said, faking innocence.

"I'm not a kitten, stop calling me that!" Akihito was now screaming at Asami and after finishing his sentence took a moment to try to calm down.

"That's not what you said last night. If I recall correctly, the exact words were 'meow'. Now get on with it and tell me what has you so upset." Asami chuckled at Akihito's appalled blush.

"You know perfectly well what has me so upset. I thought you and I had reached some sort of mutual understanding as to what is between us, even if we had not really put it into words and spoken them to each other." Akihito was not letting Asami change the subject and he was going to get to the bottom of the issue.

"You are stalling, get to the point Akihito." Asami said cutting him off before the blond went into a rant that would take them in all kinds of tangents.

"My point is, why the hell are you receiving all these omiai candidacy folders and instead of throwing them away like you usually do, you are bringing them home and actually looking at them as if you are actually considering them? Is there something you want to tell me? Because if there is, I would rather you just said it to my face instead of this passive-aggressive shit you are trying to pull."

"I am not considering them. However my business partners and colleagues demanded I at least look at them." He said waiving off the issue.

"They are demanding are they? Then I demand you stop receiving them, bringing them home or even looking at them." Akihito's face was getting all tones of red by now and was more than a little annoyed.

"You are making demands of me Akihito?" Said Asami lifting an amused eyebrow. "What are you going to give me in exchange for doing this for your peace of mind? It is a tricky thing you are demanding of me Akihito, after all the only way to make it stop is to get married to a woman, because even the ones that might have a clue about me having a male lover don't consider you enough since you can't give me an heir and are using that as an excuse."

Akihito threw his arms up in the air, exasperated.

"What!? Why don't you just tell them to go to hell?"

"If I start saying that to all my business associates, I will soon find my legal businesses in a dire situation, wont I?"

"Then just tell them to stop giving you the damn things. You can always reject them."

"Then we are back to my previous question. What are you going to give me in exchange for doing this?"

"I shouldn't have to give you anything!" He shouted, he could see this conversation was getting him nowhere.

"I must disagree, if I do this I will surely lose some valuable clients and must be compensated somehow." Asami was dead serious about being compensated for the trouble and Akihito couldn't come up with something to give to the man who had it all.

"What in the world can I give you? You have more money than God and I am dirt poor… and don't say sex or anything related to it or I swear I will throttle you." Akihito warned, his face showing that even if he failed he would really try to throttle Asami.

"No, not sex, I get that anyway. No, what I have in mind is something even you can do, something very simple."

"You? Want something simple? Since when is anything simple with you?" Now it was Akihito's turn to chuckle. "Let's hear it then, what is it you want to make all this go away?"

"I want you to tell your friends about us." Asami dropped the bomb on Akihito with the most deadpan and unconcerned face and voice he could muster.

"No way in hell am I doing that! I knew there was nothing simple about what you were going to ask of me."

"Then this will keep going on."

"The hell it will."

"If you want it to end then tell them."

"I will not!"

Asami gave a sigh and tried to reason with Akihito.

"Akihito, why are you so set on not admitting how things are? Why won't just tell your friends who you are really seeing?"

Akihito was taken aback by the tone of his voice. Asami was honestly asking his opinion, he really wanted to know how Akihito felt about the matter and why he was hiding such an important thing from people he trusted and had known all his life. He sat down on the couch opposite Asami's chair and after a moment of silence, he said exactly what he felt like.

"Sometimes, Asami, being with you is like flying too close to the sun and sometimes I'm still afraid that you will burn my wings off. I am afraid that one day this delusion of ours will break like a mirror and I will be left with nothing. I don't want to mix this side of my life with that one because I feel like I need that safety net to hold on to when I feel myself falling."

That was the last they spoke on the subject until four days later. It was cold night and Asami had come home later than usual, he had not even texted Akihito to let him know he would be late as he usually did and the blond spent hours worried sick about the golden eyed man.

When Asami finally came home the sun was already rising on the horizon and as soon as he was through the door, Akihito ran to him and started to worriedly check him for wounds of any kind.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright? Why are you so late?" He asked frantically.

Asami stopped him from hovering all around him and answered with his usual nonchalant tone.

"I'm fine Akihito, calm down. I just had a meeting with some of my clients that turned into something else halfway through and I had to deal with it."

"What do you mean it turned into something else? I hope that something else was not a bloodbath."

Asami chuckled at Akihito's worry and saw the moment to make his move, he took the opportunity to put pressure on his little lover, to convince him of doing what needed to be done. He walked to the bedroom with Akihito following closely behind and with a devious smirk delivered the killing blow, this was sure to make Akihito change his mind.

"Halfway through the meeting the daughters of the clients walked in and it turned into an ambush omiai with ten girls to choose from."

"But you rejected them all didn't you?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes at the man.

"I did, that doesn't mean they won't try to ambush me again though."

Akihito's mouth was hanging open, his face went from shocked to outrage to utterly livid. He was jealous but more than that he was mad that Asami continued to let this happen.

"I'm getting tired of this Asami, make it stop."

"Then tell your friends about us."

"Please, is there not something else I can do? Something other than what you are asking me to do?"

"You are the one complaining about my business associates' insistence that I marry one of their daughters and the constant female attention I receive. If you really want it to stop, this is the only way."

"I'm not telling them!"

"Then maybe you want to dress like a girl and accompany me to a dinner with them. You could say you are my wife, that would solve your problem and you would have no need to get so jealous." He was chuckling as he said this and Akihito was quickly reaching boiling point.

"I am not turning into a drag queen even if it annoys me that they keep insisting you marry one of their daughters… and I am NOT jealous!"

"Of course you are not. Regardless, let me be clear on something. If you want it to end then you have to do this Akihito. Before I make them stop you are going to make things official on your side, I will meet your friends and you will tell them exactly what our relationship is, other wise you will just have to continue to put up with this… situation."

"Agh, you are so- so… impossible! Will you really stop this stupid shit if I tell my friends about you?"

"Of course I will, you have my word. Just remember that you are not just going to tell them and leave it at that. You are going bring them here so they can finally know where you are living and with whom and you are going to introduce me to them. There is no getting out of this Akihito, so I suggest you get to it fast."

"Fine then! I will asked them to come over on Saturday and you better fucking be here."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Cheer up Akihito, you only have to survive this week's requests and it all will be over."

"Are you meaning to tell me that in the end I still have to put up with this crap?"

"Only until Saturday if you go through with it." Said Asami, smirking.

"Bastard." He muttered under his breath and went to sulk in his work room.

Akihito was in a sour mood for the rest of the week and he could not find a different word to describe his days other than hellish. He had been in a tizzy and it was driving Asami to question his conviction on the whole affair, but every time he reminded himself it was to end that annoying misconception Akihito's friends had been bringing up constantly as of late, it really was getting on his nerves and he wanted to put an end to it.

****VF****

It was Friday night and when he finally gathered the courage to invite Kou and Takato to the penthouse. He was a nervous wreck as he walked to the café they were meeting at. Every step closer to the establishment made him sweat with apprehension, the anxiety level in his mind was way beyond the norm and he had no idea how he was going to address the subject.

Akihito finally entered the café, he was late as usual only this time it had been on purpose, his friends were already there and were waving at him since they spotted him.

"Hey guys." He said sitting on the chair before them.

"Dude, what's with the long face? Is everything alright?" Asked Takato.

"Yeah, I'm fine, there is nothing you need to worry about."

"Are you sure, because you sure as hell don't look like you are fine. Did you have a fight with your girlfriend again?" It was Kou's turn to put in his two cents and bring up the dreaded subject.

"Something like that…" He said, realizing that he should not have spent so much time worrying about how to bring up the subject, because his friends seemed to always veer the conversation in that direction so they could tease him about the 'rich older woman he is dating'.

"I'm telling you man, sometimes dating that rich woman is not worth it, she seems to be more than a bit overbearing."

"You got that right." Said Takato.

After some careful dodging and avoiding, Akihito got down to business and said what he was here to say.

"Do you guys have something going on tomorrow night?" He finally asked, tentatively.

"I don't have anything going on, neither does Kou. Before you got here he was asking me if I wanted to hang out at his place tomorrow. Why?"

Both his friends looked at him, interceded and curious.

"Would you like to hang out at my place then?" He was looking everywhere but at the two grinning youths.

"You are finally going to let us know where you are living then?" Asked Kou.

"Yeah…"

"Took you long enough, you always put out the most ridiculous of excuses. We did not want to pressure you about it since you are so stubborn and would have just clammed shut."

"So, now that you are going to show us your place, when can we meet the infamous girlfriend you keep hiding from us?"

"Tomorrow."

"I bet she is really hot for you to hide her from us for so long and to keep your time so occupied. Lately is like one has to make appointments months in advance to be able to hang out with you. I can imagine her right now, with legs a mile long and two huge melons like this." Kou said making hand motions and Takato had to slap him on the back of the head for doing such a thing in public.

Akihito almost choked on the sandwich he was eating as an image of a long legged Asami with double D boobs terrorized his mind.

"Ouch, Takato what the hell?" He exclaimed rubbing the back of his head, before turning to Akihito again. "Is she hot? I bet she is really hot. Right Takato? She must be really hot."

"Er… yes… she is… hot." Said Akihito nervously. "I will text you the address now and you guys can come tomorrow at eight."

"Are you cooking for us? I kind of miss your cooking Aki."

"Sure Kou, we can have dinner after you get there."

The rest of the evening went by as usual, the only difference being more questions about Akihito's supposed rich girlfriend, which the photographer dodged expertly. He informed Asami that his friends will be arriving around eight and reiterated that the man better be there.

****VF****

Slowly but surely Saturday arrived, five minutes to eight he got a call from the concierge. The man wanted to know if the two young men at the door claiming to be here to see the blond should be let into the building. Akihito told the concierge to lead them to the elevator and point them to the right floor. Akihito was nervous, he did not want to do this alone. Actually, he did not want to do this at all and despite Asami's assurances that he would be here, the man was late coming home.

The two friends rode the elevator silently, sharing a questioning look at the place where their friend had been living. They walked down the hallway and knocked on the only door on the floor. The door opened and Akihito greeted them with a cautious look, inviting them in soon after.

"Come in." He said and both youths stepped into the penthouse, following him to the living room.

"Pardon the intrusion." They answered before stopping suddenly like they had hit a wall. They took in the artwork in the walls, the polished hardwood floors, and the posh furniture that somehow managed to be the perfect mixture of classy and modern. Kou and Takato's eyes flew from one expensive looking decoration to another, took in the ridiculously huge flat screen TV and the different game consoles, the mini-bar and the glass double doors to the balcony with a perfect view of the Tokyo skyline. Their jaws dropped at the utter luxuries their friend had been living in and wondered why the hell anyone would want to hide this.

"You two should close your mouths or flies might get in." The blond saids studying his friends' expressions.

"Fuck." Said Kou before whistling.

"My sentiments exactly." Was Takato's answer.

"Akihito, is this your rich girlfriend's place?" Asked Kou, always quick to say what came through his mind.

Meanwhile, Takato just tried to figure out what else was going on. He had the feeling that there was more to this then just Akihito living with his girlfriend, or he would have had them over a long time ago. What else was his friend hiding? He wondered.

"Yes, is her place, we've been living together for a while."

Takato, always the voice of reason decided he would ask the questions now, before Kou got to it and asked about unnecessary things.

"Just how long is this 'while'?"

"About three years?" The blonde said, looking away from them and blushing in embarrassment.

"So, pretty much since you disappeared from Kou's place after you crashed there that one time." Takato was deep in thought after this little revelation.

"I'm sorry, for hiding this from you."

"You must have had your reasons and I hope you eventually realize that you can tell them to us. We are your friends Aki, no matter what."

After this brief conversation, the night was followed by Akihito showing them around – Kou deemed it fit to whistle at every room they entered. – awkward silences, then dinner because they were all too ravenous to wait. After dinner they moved to the living room and drank some beers, chatting about insignificant things and suffering through more awkward silences in between. The silence was starting to drag out too long and at which point, Takato decided to break it with the question that had been plaguing both his and Kou's mind.

"Aki, where is your girlfriend?"

Akihito was beginning to panic for no real reason and tried to stumble through an answer.

"Ah, well… you see, the thing is that..." He did not get to finish his sentence.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing, as if summoned by some act of magic, Asami had walked in on their diner and rose an eyebrow at Akihito's flustered expression.

"It's the man from the Christmas party!" Kou screamed pointing at Asami and shaking Takato. "You remember Takato, Aki was really drunk that one time and kept calling his girlfriend and then this person came to pick him up."

Takato smacked him on the back of the head again and Kou quieted down, Akihito did not even know what to do or what to say. He looked nervously between his friends and Asami.

"I'm sorry, he did not meant to be disrespectful, is just that sometimes his mouth goes off before his brain has time to catch up." Explained Takato extending his hand to Asami. "I'm Takato and this is Kou, we are Akihito's friends."

"Asami Ryuichi." Said the golden eyed man before shaking the offered hand.

"Asami? Then are you Aki's girlfriend's brother or something? We are hoping to meet her today." Apparently Kou had made an unconscious decision to put Akihito on the spot and the blond groaned at his friend's forwardness.

"Or something." He answered, looking pointedly at Akihito. Takato had been feeling a weird vibe from the man. He found Asami to be incredibly intimidating; especially in the way he was looking at his friend.

"Can we sit down? I don't think I can do this standing." The blonde said with a sigh, and they all sat down.

Takato and Kou were starting to get worried about their friend's edginess and watched the man sitting opposite them with weariness. The man seemed dangerous and the longer they sat watching their friend put pressure on the bridge of his nose and trying to calm down, the more they got suspicious about the situation.

"How long is this going to take Akihito?" Asked Asami, quickly losing his patience.

"I'm getting there!" Akihito snapped.

"Aki, what's going on?" Kou, despite his cloud headedness, was picking up on the thickening atmosphere.

"I would like to know that myself Aki." Added Takato.

"You see, erm… the thing is that… I- I may have been lying to you guys about something. Well… not really lying as much as letting you think whatever you wanted and going along with it."

"Okay? What have you been keeping from us?"

"It's about my… girlfriend. The thing is that I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then who is the person taking up all your time? And who owns this place?"

"I have been seeing someone and we live together, here, but is not a rich older woman like you guys think." He paused and took in his friend's carefully blank faces, not knowing what to make of it. "Actually, I have been seeing this man," He said signaling Asami – who just watched things unfold – with his hand. "and he is the person I live with."

"You are gay!" Kou again speaking without thinking. "Takato was right!"

"What do you mean Takato was right?"

"He told me once, shortly after we got out of high school, that he thought you might be gay because you didn't seem interested in all the girls chancing you around." At this sentence there was a low growl coming from Asami's general direction at which Akihito began to fidget.

"Akihito, can I talk to you a minute?"

"Ah, sure Takato."

"In private?"

"Okay, we can talk in the kitchen if you like." Akihito guided his friend to the kitchen, while Kou threw them looks that seemed to scream 'don't leave me along with this man.'

"What did you want to tell me Takato?" He finally asked once they reached the kitchen.

"Aki, you know that I support you in all your crazy decisions. We have been friends for a very long time and I know you are more than a little into thrill seeking. However, this man seems dangerous; there is something about him that I don't like. Is like a predatory aura around him or something, I don't know how to explain it but I don't think you should see him anymore."

"I know." Akihito said simply. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Then why are you with him? Why are you not leaving him?"

"Because I can't."

"What do you mean? Is he keeping you with him against your will? Because if that is the case Kou and I will do anyth…" Akihito cut him off with a hand and gave him a sad smile.

"You misunderstand me Takato, I can't leave because I don't want to."

"Ah." His friend said and scanned Akihito for any signs of uncertainty. "If that is the case I better get to know this man. Besides, I think Kou will have an aneurysm if we leave him alone in that atmosphere for too long."

In the end, the night turned out not to be too unpleasant, Takato and Kou got to know how Asami and Akihito met – though they could tell a lot of vital details were left out – and how they came to live together.

Finally, they knew where their friend lived and both Asami and Akihito had said it was okay for them to visit. Akihito on the other hand, felt free of the weight of keeping things from his friends, and happy to finally be able to ask them over. Overall he was overjoyed that Asami had made an effort not to be an ass, even though at times it seemed that the three seemed to gang up on him and tease him to no end, which was more than a little foreboding when he thought about it.

Asami, who had been sick of being referred to as 'that rich older lady you are dating' was content to have the annoying misconception out of the way. Now he could finally listen to Akihito's phone talks without that getting on his nerves.

*********VF*********

**I hope you enjoyed this little slice of life fic. Hopefully more new stuff will be posted soon.**

**Setsuna**


End file.
